Those Left Outside
by MoodieWarrior
Summary: This is a story about the nuclear holocaust that brought the world to its knees and how those that experienced it had to make due when they were left without shelter.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, everyone. So I just wanted to inform those of you that have read my story that I decided to do a rewrite of the first two chapters. Rather than having a bunch of POV squashed together in the same chapter, I decided to make each POV its own chapter. While this means that each chapter will probably be a tad shorter than usual, each will be more in depth, have better character development and result in longer, richer and more detailed story. Essentially, the first two chapters now constitute the first five of this story.

And for those of you that have not yet read my story and this the first time, then you what is above does not pertain to you, and I hope you enjoy!

Please let me know what you all think and I really hope you all enjoy the read!

-Taylor

* * *

Chapter 1: Heroes Left Behind

The warm sunlight did little to sway the cold of the day to go away. Though he was clad in a thick leather jacket, a gift from his father many years ago, Daniel could not help but shiver. But it was more than just the cold of the day that ate away at his bones and formed goosebumps all over his skin. Anxiety, fear, general nervous and a touch of adrenaline also lent to his current state.

He stood at the head of a crowd of hundreds. Like him, all were bundled up in vain attempt to stay warm on the cold October Friday. For them, unlike Daniel, they were possessed by a positive and unyielding force that kept them going and warm. Of course, also unlike Daniel, they were not in charge of the protest that had slowly swelled in numbers over the past two hours. If they were, then he was sure they would be in the same state as he.

Daniel had been involved in a growing number of protests over the recent years. His very first had been in his youth long ago, when fear of the New Plague sparked the citizens into action, demanding that their government act at least somewhat responsible as thousands were killed off in the early fifties. With his father on one side, his mother on the other, he remembered marching down the streets of Jacksonville hoping that their voices were more than just vain noises. They weren't. And over the years Jacksonville had seen its fair share of protests, and he had become more involved. Protests over food and fuel were common place. The people were hungry and needed warmth, especially in the winter. Anti-War protests also had become popular, especially recently when American forces were so decisively winning the war against the red menace that was the Chinese. Daniel and many others knew that peace had to be a priority. China was losing, but pushed into a corner then even a simpleton understood what would happen. Humans were animals, and animals pushed to the extreme always lashed out. But it seemed that the government were either ignorant of the threat, or wished for it. Which was worse for such powerful men and women that were in charge, Daniel did not know, but the consequence would be the same, at least for the masses.

Today, though, Daniel did not lead the group of hundreds because of war, food or fuel. War allowed men to get away with the cruel and unusual. In the Second World War, the citizenry of the republic had stood by as FDR demanded Americans of Japanese decent be locked in camps like a feared beasts. But Daniel, and those standing with him, would not follow the Americans of yesteryear that allowed their fellow citizens to be taken and locked away.

Like the Japanese-Americans over a century ago, today it was common routine to see Chinese-Americans rounded about by the busloads and shipped across the country. While it was cruel what had happened to the Japanese-Americans, they at least were treated somewhat decently in the confines of their guarded camps. Those taken in today's America, though, were not so lucky. Rumors spread like wildfire of the treatment of the modern camps. Experimentations and executions on a level that would make the Germans of the 1930s and 40s envious.

And it was the imprisonment and torture of his people that made Daniel take on this responsibility, one such that was sure to have consequence. He thought briefly back to the conversation he had with Sam two weeks prior when he suggested leading this demonstration.

"Your sure, son?" the old and gray woman had asked him as she smoked a cigarette in the lounge of a local bar.

"Someone has too, and no one has stepped up yet," responded Daniel as he nursed a whiskey.

"If it goes bad, hell, even if it's a peaceful as can be, they could come for you," she warned. "You, your wife and your daughter."

"I know, Sam. But if we fail to step up, then we are still guilty. We can't let them get away with this shit any more than they have."

"Alright, son. This one's yours. Don't fuck it up."

So far he had not fucked anything up yet, but he knew that fun was only about to start. Any fuckups would come then and there.

"We almost ready," said a man to Daniel's right. It took him a second to realize the man was Juan, head of the protest's security. The large man wore a long coat, which Daniel knew hid weapons and armor underneath in the event peace decided to flee them that afternoon.

"Does everything look good?" asked Daniel.

"As good as we think they can look," responded Juan. "But those army boys look nervous. We will have to make sure that none of the crowd gets out of hand."

"Yeah, we don't want any bloodshed."

"Don't worry, Daniel," comforted Juan. "The boss wouldn't have put you in charge if she though you couldn't handle it."

"Let's hopes Sam's not wrong then.

"At least no news vans showed up in case you are," joked Juan.

Daniel realized Juan was right. Usually there were at least some news coverage, but not today. They were probably under orders. The government did not want to give the people the wrong ideas about being loyal citizens.

"Yeah," said Daniel. "At least."

Juan put a comforting hand on Daniel's shoulder for a second, then stepped away back to his duties among the crowd and managing the other security personnel.

Finally, the moment came. At the head of the crowd a large crate was placed and a smaller one was situated next to it to provide a necessary step up. Someone, who in his moment of commitment Daniel could not recall, handed him a megaphone, and then Daniel made his way up and to the crate. He stood above the rest. A small sea of hundreds stood tightly together before him. They went through various chants and held their signs of protest above their heads proudly. Daniel couldn't help but smile.

A gust of wind cut into his eyes and he turned away from them, away from the crowd of protesters and towards the object of their protest, Fort Saturiwa. Situated along the St. Johns River, the fort has one been the city's naval air station. Then, in the 2060s, the base had been given to army to serve as the new headquarters for the United States Southern Military Command following the series of protests in Miami that left much of the city nothing but a smoldering pile of rubble.

It was here on this day that thousands of Americans civilians had been brought to be shipped out to various camps around the country, including the infamous Miami camps down south situated in the ruins. Even without binoculars, Daniel could see the hundreds of busses in the distance well inside of the fort where the prisoners had been loaded onto throughout the day. The sight did nothing but piss off Daniel, and the fear and anxiety began to melt away, though not completely. Part of him wished to take his crowed and march them through the chainlink fence that surrounded this section of the fort, but that would have been a fool's errand. The dozens of soldiers, some clad in power armor and armed with mini-guns, would make short work of them if they tried. But still, just that moment of taking things into their own hands left a longing on Daniel's mind.

Instead of his march, he turned back to the crowd and lifted the megaphone to his lips. "First, I would just like to thank you all for coming out here on this warm Florida day." A few in the crowd chuckled at the poor joke. "But in all seriousness, seriously, thank you all. We live in dangerous, tough times, but it gives me some faith in humanity to actually see people out here today for no other reason than to reject what our government is doing with our people."

Cheers erupted from the crowds as the mass waved their many signs. "What they are doing is fucking wrong," boomed Daniel as he gestured to the fort behind him. "And we are not going to let this stand. We aren't going to let these sons of bitches that are supposedly our leaders get away with this; that this ain't going to go down like this. We-"

A gunshot rang out from the crowd cutting Daniel off. His eyes widened with horror as he saw a man amongst the crowd holding a smoking pistol. Those protesting around him had crouched down at the sound of gunfire leaving the shooter standing tall among that section. Daniel stared at the man, and then the gun. Then he followed where the gun was pointing. Not to him, but behind him. Daniel turned around. One soldier was on the ground. Blood pooled around his still body as other soldiers came to his rescue above him.

As the seen unfolded protestors were running. They knew. So did Daniel. He jumped off of the crate, and as his feet touched the ground, the first returning gunshots echoed from the soldiers behind him. The protestors screamed as the gunshots intensified. Daniel ducked behind the crate, the only cover he had that could shield him from the gunfire. The others were not so lucky. As they ran, bullets ripped into their backs and knocked them down to the floor. Blood was everywhere, along with the screams. The worst screams, from the most dreaded of human misery, came from those left alive on the ground. They either could not move, tried to get away, or in some cases desperately tried to stuff their guts back into their stomachs. If the shock of it all was not holding Daniel so strongly, his stomach would have let go of all its contents.

"Goddamnit, Daniel," roared Juan as he slid in beside Daniel. Gone was the man's coat, replaced with heavy army around his body and a rifle in his hands. "What the fuck are you doing back here?"

"What the hell am I suppose to do?" asked Daniel as gunfire spread itself around them. "I don't exactly want to get mowed down!"

"Worse things can happen, Daniel," answered Juan. "Now let's get out of here!"

Juan yanked Daniel put his face, and the large man put Daniel in front of him, behind a shield of flesh and armor. Daniel felt Juan pushing on him, and without another choice, he ran. Juan kept close. Bullets made impact all around them. Daniel tried to speak out in protest, now wanting Juan to be hurt, but the man just told him to shut up and focus on his running every time he tried.

Along the way the bodies that littered the ground were either silent or screaming. The sights revolted Daniel. He couldn't stop and help, Juan kept forcing him to keep pace. But others were helping. Men and women with guns faced against the soldiers. Their cover fire allowed others to grab the wounded, at least the wounded they thought they could save.

At last, Daniel and Juan turned a corner with Daniel still in the front. Awaiting them was a black van, guarded by a few of the protest's security and already filled with some of the other protestors. The door was open. Juan forced Daniel up to it and pushed him inside.

"Get him the fuck out of here," shouted Juan. "They all saw him. They will be looking."

Daniel turned around to protest the order. He could help the other wounded. He could do something! But his own protest died when he laid his eyes upon Juan for the first time since the man forced him to run. The man, somehow still standing, was covered in blood. It was mostly his own. It was soaked into his clothes. Small cuts covered him. Daniel stared horrified, scared to see the man's back. But Juan still stood, though wavered in place, as the van door was slammed shut on Daniel's face. Daniel fell to the van's floor as the van sped away.

Daniel recovered, and made it to the back window. Looking through, he watched as an ever shrinking Juan fell to his knees as the other security personnel moved to check on him. The van turned a corner and Daniel saw no more of his Savior.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, everyone. So I just wanted to inform those of you that have read my story that I decided to do a rewrite of the first two chapters. Rather than having a bunch of POV squashed together in the same chapter, I decided to make each POV its own chapter. While this means that each chapter will probably be a tad shorter than usual, each will be more in depth, have better character development and result in longer, richer and more detailed story. Essentially, the first two chapters now constitute the first five of this story.

And for those of you that have not yet read my story and this the first time, then you what is above does not pertain to you, and I hope you enjoy!

Please let me know what you all think and I really hope you all enjoy the read!

-Taylor

* * *

Chapter 2: The Men in Uniform

The mood around Fort Saturiwa was ill at best. For Colonel Joseph Barrett, an ill mood was better than the chaos that had gripped the fort in the preceding hours. A half-dozen soldiers had lost their lives. Even more were injured, many critically so. Worse, even worse than the suffering undertaken by his comrades, was the dozens upon dozens of dead civilians outside the fences of Fort Saturiwa. Security footage had shown that it had been one of the protestors that had fired the first shot that led to the butchering, but Joseph still grimaced. The action of one crazed individual should not have warranted the death of nearly a hundred of his countrymen.

General Wilkerson, the commander of the fort and head of Southern Command, apparently thought the same. The head of the guard detail, whom Joseph only knew as some redheaded captain, had been reprimanded to say the least. Yes, a man had been harmed, but Wilkerson demanded better of his men than thoughtless, emotion-driven reactions even in the worst of times, especially when those on the receiving end when mostly peaceful protestors.

The alarm of the small clock on his desk went off, distracting Joseph form his thoughts. The digital readout read 1425. With five minutes to make it to the meeting room, one of his many meetings that occurred regularly through the day, he logged out of his terminal. Meetings were taxing, but offered at least a small break from the endless paperwork his position relentlessly afforded him.

Guards, two more than usually, guarded the door to the room. They saluted their superior as Joseph walked towards them. Returning the salute, he entered the meeting room through the heavy double doors. A dozen individuals sat in plush chairs around an oval oak table. General Wilkerson sat at the head. Joseph took his seat in the middle right side of the table.

"On time as always, Colonel," said Brigadier General Fisher with a small sneer. "And as always, the last to arrive."

Joseph bit his tongue. The old man, thin, tall and gray, was one of the least pleasant individuals he had the misfortune of knowing. Fisher was a politician first and a general second. That being said, the man was still excellent as his job, which was managing the cooperation between the military, civilian contractors and corporations. With the role that private corporations played in military projects, and national politics in general, it was an important role to say the least. Being the man he is, Fisher never let anyone forget that fact.

"There is a lot to get caught with for my new assignment, sir," responded Joseph with a bite in his voice. "I can't afford to waste anytime sitting around."

"Colonel," said General Wilkerson with a slight warning in his voice that brought not only Joesph to heel, but Fisher as well. "How goes the situation in Mexico."

"Troubled would be a good description, sir," answered Joseph. "Supplies to fuel the war effort are moving as needed, but they are constantly being harassed by guerrilla forces. Most seem to be young men and women, which isn't surprising."

"The foolish young are eager to die," chimed in Fisher. "We took that country over twenty years ago and broke their back early on. Why is there a resurgence in resistance coming along now."

"A new generation of men and women that grew up with the previous generation telling them about the days when they were a free people, would be my best assessment, sir," said Joseph. "But they are not very organized. We should have the situation become more favorable within the next few months as the pacification campaigns take effect."

Joesph could not help but smirk at his use of the term 'pacification campaign.' Just a politician's term for death squads. He hated it.

"It seems like this will be easier than your European assignment," said General Wilkerson.

"It really depends on how things proceed from here, sir," said Joseph. "If anything, it was easier to keep Europe divided and weak. Their civil war unleashed a great amount of hatred between the European states, and though hostiles have mostly died down, that mutual hatred has kept it easier to ensure they remain divided and guarantee that they never present a threat to the Union. But, depending on how strongly this nationalist flare has taken root in the Mexicans, who aren't for the most part as divided to the same degree as the Europeans, we could see a lot more resistance to our will, both active and passive."

"I see," said Wilkerson with a long paused following his words. "Well, with that being said, let's get down to the real business. The Joint Chiefs have recommend that we declare martial law in Jacksonville and surrounding counties following today's incident. Since it was my command that would be responsible for enacting this measure, I was fortunate enough to be left with the final decision. I declined."

"Is that the… best decision, sir?" asked Fisher with a frown. "We must establish that those that would threaten order must be dealt with."

"In my opinion, and one that the Joint Chiefs agree with, it would cause more harm than good, especially considering the poor relation the military has with he current Jacksonville government. The governor of the commonwealth is on our side, but it still wouldn't be pretty here. We don't need another repeat of Miami."

"Well, if you think that this is best, sir," said Fisher.

"Something on your mind, Brigadier General?" asked Wilkerson?

"No, sir," was all Fisher could say.

"Good," said Wilkerson. He turned to Joseph. "Now, Colonel, have you been able to identify any useful information on this protest?"

"Some relevant information, sir," answered Joseph. "The protest, like many around this area and the country, was organized by the group that refers to itself as the Old Guard. We don't think they planned on things turning bloody, but they were prepared for it, which is usual with them. And while through security footage we were not able to determine who was leading the protest today, we did find out the leader through the protestors we managed to roundup."

"And that person is?" asked Wilkerson.

"Daniel Landry," answered Joseph. "An engineer with Stanford Robotics here in Jacksonville. He has a long past of participating in protests, though we don't determine him to be a serious threat, merely someone that caught up in a surprising situation this time."

"Stanford Robotics?" asked Fisher. "Why I believe we have a maintenance contract with them. A large one, in fact. I will have to look into this."

"You heard the colonel, Fisher," said Wilkerson. "This incident was most likely beyond his control. Don't do anything rash before we have more information."

"Of course, sir," was all Fisher said.

The two men locked eyes with each other. The tension was thick, but Fisher finally bowed down.

General Wilkerson turned back to Joseph. "This was an interesting day they chose to protest. They knew that we were moving the prisoners today. Any thoughts as to how they knew this?"

"Someone most likely leaked the information," said Joseph. "The date of the move was kept secret, so it was most likely someone with a decent enough rank. There are only a few dozen individuals on base that could have done so in time for this protest to be organized the way it was."

"Find out who that leak is, Colonel," ordered Wilkerson.

"Yes, sir," said Joseph.

"Then let's considered this meeting dismissed," said Wilkerson.

Joseph stood up and left with the others. The fact he had even more work on a Friday meant he would be having a very long weekend. He sighed. No fun for him.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, everyone. So I just wanted to inform those of you that have read my story that I decided to do a rewrite of the first two chapters. Rather than having a bunch of POV squashed together in the same chapter, I decided to make each POV its own chapter. While this means that each chapter will probably be a tad shorter than usual, each will be more in depth, have better character development and result in longer, richer and more detailed story. Essentially, the first two chapters now constitute the first five of this story.

And for those of you that have not yet read my story and this the first time, then you what is above does not pertain to you, and I hope you enjoy!

Please let me know what you all think and I really hope you all enjoy the read!

-Taylor

* * *

Chapter 3: Matriarch

"Fuck, this is a mess," cursed Samantha Vergara as she eyed the dozens of dead bodies behind the police tape. Those that survived had already been taken into the base for treatment; interrogation was more likely. The dead were still outside even though it had been over an hour since the massacre.

"Sums it up nicely, ma'am," said Miles Wilson, Sam's right hand man. He stood by her side and towered over her. Filled with youth and covered in muscle, he was a stark contrast to her, someone physically past their prime. But not mentally.

"And we _do_ have Daniel, right?" asked Sam. He led the protest. He was a potential target, not that she would let him get hurt.

"Yes, ma'am," responded Miles. "He was evacuated with the rest of the protestors. He's currently located in a safe-house in St. Augustine. No word has been released about him from any official sources. Since the media was essentially warned away from this protest from the government, they probably have not identified him yet."

"But they have some of the protestors in there," said Sam as she pointed to Fort Saturiwa. "We should count on one of them giving in and identifying him."

"So what should we do, ma'am? We could move him and his family to a more secure location."

"I hate to say it, but Daniel is a small fry," said Sam. She wasn't heartless, though she thought of herself as a bitch more than most of the time. But Daniel was only in the periphery of the Old Guard, not even a full member. "Our resources are thin and we can't afford that right now, especially since we don't know where the wind will blow. There's not a price on his head; yet at least. Besides, knowing them, I doubt he or his wife would be willing to leave. And he doesn't have any sort of malicious record. He might get some heat but he shouldn't be assassinated or anything."

"And your orders, ma'am," asked Miles.

"Wait a few more hours, then take him home," said Sam. "But I do want a guard on him and his wife. One each. Tell them to keep their distance. If someone does try to hurt them, then we will relocate them whether they like it or not."

"Yes, ma'am," said Miles.

"Now let's get the fuck out of here."

The duo got back into the grey sedan they had arrived in. With Miles behind the wheel, they headed back to base.

Sam hated the warehouse that served as their regional base of operations. It smelled like fish. Rotting fish. It was not hard to guess what the previous occupants had done with it considering it was on the docks. She had ordered her men to try and get rid of the smell when they first started to use it a few months ago, but that damned smell was determined to drive her nuts.

"Camera is live," said one of the operators.

The announcement distracted Sam from her feud with the warehouse's smell. She looked to the operator that had given the alert. He sat with four others at a bank of terminals. Beyond them was a large screen. On it was the setting sun and four individuals armed to the teeth and heavily armored amongst a thick grouping of trees. Around Sam stood a few other, including Miles. They all watched the scene unfold.

She could not help but be amazed at humanity's technological progress, even in times like these. The camera was attached to one person in the group they were viewing, and while still heavy and having to be situated on the chest, it gave them an unprecedented view of the action. She wished she had such advanced equipment back when she had been running black-ops during the Resource Wars in the Middle East. It would have provided them a lot of intelligence and good training material. But, at least they had it now.

"Give them the go ahead," order Sam.

One of the operators sent a signal from his terminal and the four individuals on the screen and the one camera operator behind it began to move through the trees. Eventually, the team came to the tree line and stopped. The camera rested on the fence marking the border of their target: one of the Miami camps. The same camp that many of the Chinese-Americans that had been the subject of the earlier protest were in route too.

Sam had given the team clear instructions: To gather as much information as they could about what was going on within the camps. Most of the media in the country was wrapped around the government's finger, but she had some connections. She would expose the pieces of shit that were doing unknown horrors to her countrymen. People she had given an oath to protect.

Sam focused as the team began the insertion. They moved the fence. No guards were currently in sight. One had a cutter and made an entry into the fence. The team quickly moved through the slit. From there, their movement was quick. They approached a concrete bunker. It was believed to be the location of many of the experiments in the camp. Thanks to one of her moles inside the camp, the majority of security would be disabled when the operation was given the go ahead. All that was inside was people, unaware on what was about to befall them.

There were two guards at the door. The team took them out together with with bolts unleashed from crossbows. Silent weapons and perfect for a silent breach. The bodies were dumped into nearby bushes and the blood was covered with dirt.

The team made it inside, and began to penetrate deep into the complex. A guard here and a scientist there. The team members took out any that they had to using either hand-to-hand tactics or bolts. Some might object to the killing of the scientist, but Sam felt they were getting off easy. A quick death was not something that the scientists had offered their victims in the camp.

Finally, the team reached an observation room. Sam heard the gasps coming from those standing next to her. She remained silent.

The observation room stood a few stories above a large and deep room divided into sections. Together, the entire area was easily equal to five football fields if not more. Vats of liquid, hospital tables and cages were just a few of the key pieces that were on display from the observation room. Monitors on the walls gave a more up close view of each experiment. Sam couldn't help but keep her eyes glued to the vats.

Filled with green fluid, robot arms lifted up the prisoners into the air. The prisoners tried to fight, but in heavy restraints there was little they could do. The arms then lowered the prisoners into the vat until they were completely submerged. A few seconds later they were lifted back up. But instead of the prisoners were monsters. Each vat produced a different result, but each was a hideous beast with nothing human about them. Each one of them were screaming as they left the vat. Sam was thankful that there was no audio attached with the video feed. She didn't want to hear their howls of pain and anguish.

The newly made creatures were then deposited into separated pins beside the vats. Once in, the creatures could be seen howling and banging against the cage walls. But the scientist there seems oblivious to their screams of pain. They were desensitized, giving Sam some clue as to how long had been doing this."

A bright flash suddenly overtook the camera feed.

"What the fuck was that?" yelled Sam.

"It looks like a flash bang," said Miles nervously.

Smaller flashes followed, but the initial flare still persisted, making it impossible to see anything concrete.

Then the flare faded. The camera was on its side, splattered with blood. It's operator unmoving. But it showed one of the team members on his knees, disarmed and surround by three power armored soldiers. One of the soldiers reach down to the team member, grabbed his mask and yanked it off.

"Jason!" exclaimed Sam as she saw the mans face as he stared up at the armored soldier.

The camera feed died.

"Goddammit!" yelled Sam. "Find out what the fuck just happened! Miles, prepare an extraction team. Get him the fuck out of there."

Orders given, she stormed out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello, everyone. So I just wanted to inform those of you that have read my story that I decided to do a rewrite of the first two chapters. Rather than having a bunch of POV squashed together in the same chapter, I decided to make each POV its own chapter. While this means that each chapter will probably be a tad shorter than usual, each will be more in depth, have better character development and result in longer, richer and more detailed story. Essentially, the first two chapters now constitute the first five of this story.

And for those of you that have not yet read my story and this the first time, then you what is above does not pertain to you, and I hope you enjoy!

Please let me know what you all think and I really hope you all enjoy the read!

-Taylor

* * *

Chapter 4: Entry Pass

Anna Landry focused on cleaning her rifle. It was kinetic, not energy based, but it never failed her. She sat on a plush couch in the living room. The gun and its parts were laid out on the coffee table before her. Each waited their turn.

From the only bathroom in the house, she could hear the shower going. Daniel had been in there for an hour. She could not blame him. When he arrived home after dusk, he was caked in dried blood. It was apparent that he had tried to clean up, but the stains still showed. She was just thankful that it had not been his blood.

Still, she worried for him. Daniel was a soft soul. He was a good man, always willing to help those in need. But what he went through at the protest was something out of his league. He had seen just a glimpse of war, and it had been brutal. For Anna, it was not much of a scene. She had scene more at Anchorage when they retook it earlier that year. But she knew even a glimpse could wear a person down. It had done so to her, though she had more than a glimpse. A month after the Reclamation of Anchorage, she was out of the army. So much death made one want to see life. She had a husband and a daughter at home. Her place was with them, and with the eventual push into mainland China following the victory, it was a decision she was glad she had made.

She had been with many men and women when they first saw blood. She knew what she could do to lessen that blow. She would be there for Daniel in that capacity. But he was also now potentially a target. As she cleaned her rifle, she dared anyone to come and try and hurt him. She would meet them, whether they were soldier or civilian. She would kill to protect her family.

A sudden knock came from the door. With her rifle in pieces, she gripped her pistol that had been holstered at her hips. Bringing it up, she moved to the door. Carefully, she looked out through the peep hole. No one in sight, but then she looked down. Impatiently waiting for her to answer was Sam in a large black coat. Anna breathed a sigh of relief and then opened the door.

"About time," said the old woman as she walked right in.

"We weren't expecting you tonight, Sam," said Anna as she rushed to catch up to the woman as she made her way into the living room.

"I'm guess Daniel is the one in the shower?" asked Sam.

"Yes, ma'am," said Anna. "He's been in there for almost an hour."

"Not surprising," responded Sam. "Listen, Anna, I don't have the time or the mood to shoot the shit."

Sam opened her coat and brought out a manila envelope. She threw it into Anna's hands.

"What's this?" asked Anna.

"Open it, girl," growled Sam.

Anna did as she was told. Inside was blue folder with the Vault-Tec logo proudly in the center. She opened the folder and inside were three tickets.

"Not that you would know, but I've recently acquired the position of Vault's 47 Security Chief," said Sam. "As such, I have some pull. Those are entry passes for you, Daniel and your daughter."

Anna just looked down in shock at the tickets that were so coveted by so many people. The vaults were seen as one of the few safe havens in the event of a nuclear war, and they were in high demand. Usually one had to be something special, or rich to get one, but here she held them in her hand.

"Sam, I don't know what to say," said Anna after a long second.

"Don't say nothing," said Sam. "Both you and Daniel have very important skills, and more importantly, at least as far as I concerned, you're people that the Guard can count on. In the event of the worst, we need good people coming out on top."

"But we aren't even members of the Guard, nor do we really want to be," said Anna. While she liked Sam and supported most of the stuff they said they were doing, protests and such, she knew there was more to the organization than the old woman ever let on.

"Hell, girl," cursed Sam. "Do you want me to take the tickets back?"

Anna shook her head.

"Good," said Sam. "Now listen, just because I have some pull doesn't mean I'm all powerful. There are still standards that have to be met to new entries into the Vault program. So, an engineer and former soldier meet that, and I know that I can at least count on you two not to stab me in back if we all get stuck down there together."

"Well, thank you, Sam. Thank you so much for this." Tears welled up in Anna's eyes as she clutched the tickets. "Though, I am surprised you made the trip out here to give these to us in person."

"I needed to get out," said Sam in a tone that threatened Anna not to press her as to why.

"And I suppose you checked in on our security detail to?" asked Anna with a teary-eyed smirk.

"You're a smart girl, Anna," said Sam. "Be best to stay that way, especially the way things currently are. Now, my job is done. Give Daniel my regards."

Without another word, Anna watched as Sam turned around and left; she closed the door behind her. Anna again looked down at the tickets. She couldn't believe their luck.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, everyone. So I just wanted to inform those of you that have read my story that I decided to do a rewrite of the first two chapters. Rather than having a bunch of POV squashed together in the same chapter, I decided to make each POV its own chapter. While this means that each chapter will probably be a tad shorter than usual, each will be more in depth, have better character development and result in longer, richer and more detailed story. Essentially, the first two chapters now constitute the first five of this story.

And for those of you that have not yet read my story and this the first time, then you what is above does not pertain to you, and I hope you enjoy!

Please let me know what you all think and I really hope you all enjoy the read!

-Taylor

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Chapter 5: Enjoying the View

Daniel started into the steamy mirror. His own face started back. Brown eyes and brown hair. But even though he knew it was his face he eyes gazed upon, it didn't feel like it was. The face that he saw was too normal. It showed nothing of the shit that Daniel felt eating him up from within. He closed his eyes. An image of Juan, bloody and falling, sprang into his mind's eye immediately. He whipped his eyes back open. Juan was the one he usually saw, but there were others scattered around. Those that had died around him yesterday.

He looked down at his hand next to the stream of water gushing from the faucet. They were clean. He had made sure of that the night before, Still, he could see that stains of blood. He thought of Anna and sighed. She had seen so much worse during her time in the army, yet she didn't fall to pieces. He felt weak. The memories of what happened yesterday weighed on him like a heavy mass. It was a weight that he was required to live with but lacked the muscles to do so. His ability to cope with this was undeveloped, like an underused muscle. He wanted to be able to cope with this, but the though of getting use to it where his mind was capable of handling such memories or events gave him worry. He had seen that detached look in Anna's eyes before. He didn't want that for himself just he didn't want it for her.

Daniel sighed again. He had wasted enough time. He needed to get on with his day. He had slept like crap and Anna had asked him to stay home from his once-a-month Saturday shift. He denied her request. He had told her it wouldn't be fair to the others. But the truth was he wanted to get to work. He welcomed the opportunity to focus his mind on his work, on something else besides yesterday. He needed it. And he knew Anna understood.

He left the bathroom and changed from his bathrobe into his normal work clothes. Anna still slumbered. She had been up with him until he drifted off, and probably some time after. Their daughter Brooke was still asleep, so he gave Anna a kiss on the cheek and let her rest. She needed it.

The drive to the factory was pleasant enough. The cold morning couldn't compete with the reliable heater equipped in his Corvega Coupe. Its nuclear engine provided all the warmth he needed. The usual Saturday morning talkshows aired over the radio. The one currently tuned dealt with home repair, a show he usually listened into on the Saturdays that he worked. Today though, he could barely give it any heed.

He pulled into the already filled parking lot to Stanford Robotics. The factory loomed before him as he cut the engine. He quickly rushed from the warm car through the cold air and into the warm building, returning any greetings he received along the way. Luckily, no one wanted to stop him and talk. Daniel was thankful for the small amount of fortune found in that.

He made it into his office. Pictures of his family covered his desk along with an endless amount of papers and schematics. He took off his coat and got straight to work. It was eight o'clock on the dot. He was right on time.

The following few hours passed by quickly. The workload wasn't too heavy and he made trips from his office to the factory floor here and there to make sure the repairs were going along as needed. Most were on securitrons for the military. When the company had landed the military contract two years ago, which allowed them to work on such machines, Daniel like the rest had been ecstatic. It was guaranteed work for the length of the ten year contract. But now, after not only what happened yesterday but the deteriorating conditions within the country, the weapons of war cause chills to radiate down his spine.

Daniel was walking back to his office from the factory floor, some schematics folded underneath his arm, and the thoughts of the securitrons were his mind's focus before he came to a quick stop a few feet from his office door. There was Brian Bushnell, the factory manager and his immediate superior. Beside him was one of the company's security personnel that he did not know. Immediately, Daniel knew whatever was about to happen was not going to be good.

"Inside, Daniel," said a tired Brian. Brain was a few decades older than Daniel, and while he was usually spry, today he showed his age.

Daniel obliged and went in first. Brian followed.

"I'll be straight to the point, Daniel," started Brian. "You're being let go."

"What?" said Daniel in surprise. "What for?"

"Because the board told Cherie that they wanted you gone."

Daniel stepped back. "And Cherie agreed to that?" asked Daniel. He had know the CEO for years. She was the one that hired him straight out of college after his internship at Stanford Robotics. Him and Anna were close to her and her husband. He didn't believe she would just let him go.

"Cherie told the board that if you went, so did she," said Brain. "The board told her to get the hell out just like you. She fought for you Daniel, but it wasn't enough."

"But why?" asked Daniel after a long second. "Where the hell is all this coming from? I don't even know anyone for the board, so why the hell do they have it out for me."

"I don't know, Daniel, but you pissed someone off. Or at least someone thinks you did something to piss them off."

"No, not that I can think of," said Daniel. "Were you at that protest yesterday?" asked Brain. "The one at Fort Saturiwa."

Daniel was silent. He knew in the silence he gave the answer.

"We have a huge military contract that this factory is dependent upon, Daniel," started Brain. "I don't know what you did, but if they got your number then they're calling it right now."

Daniel's office phone started to ring. Daniel ignored it.

"Anyway," said Brian. "You need to clear out your office immediately and get out of here." Brain then took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Daniel. "This is a list of companies around here that I know will take you in. Some even pay a hell-of-a-lot better than here, so maybe this is a good thing. You're going to be okay, Daniel. And if you need anything, I'm always a phone call away. Cherie too."

Daniel took the paper and looked it over. A dozen companies were listed on it. The phone stopped ringing. Then it started ringing again.

Absently, Daniel picked it up the second time.

"Daniel, is that you?!" came a voice from the other side of the line before Daniel cold even say hello.

"Yeah, who is this?"

"It's Miles," said the voice. "Miles Wilson."

Daniel immediately recognized the name and matched the voice to that of Sam's right hand man that was always at her side.

"What's going on Miles?"

"You listen carefully, Daniel," started Miles. "This is straight from Sam. She is telling you to head straight for the Vault, immediately. Don't grab anything and don't worry about anything. Just head there. I've already talked to Anna when I called your house looking for you. Her and Brooke are already on the way. Sam is already there. But you need to get there."

The memory from the night before of Anna telling him about Sam's surprise gift popped into his mind. Then panic.

"Shit," said Daniel. "Yeah, I'm on my way."

"You better be," said Miles. "Good luck."

The line went dead.

Daniel looked up at Brian and the phone fell form his hand.

"What was that about?" asked Brian.

"I have to get to the vault," answered Daniel, almost in a state of surprise.

"The Vault?" questioned Brian. "Why?"

"Cause I was just told to come immediately," said Daniel. "I think something bad something bad is going down. You should leave as well, Brian."

"Wait, you have tickets?" asked Brian taken back. "Oh, shit. Well, then get going, son."

"What are you going to do?" asked Daniel.

"Don't you worry about me," answered Brian. "Now go take care of that wife and daughter of yours. Get going, Daniel!"

Daniel did not need to be told the same again. He started to the door, then stopped. He held out his hand to Brian and Brian shook it. The two men locked eyes, but said nothing. Then Daniel broke into a run. Vault 47 was on the Northside of Jacksonville. It would take him over twenty minutes to get there. He couldn't afford to waste anytime.

Daniel ignored the cold and jumped into his coupe. The nuclear engine roared to life at the turn of his key, and he peeled out of the parking lot. Traffic was light, as was the usual for this time on a Saturday. Daniel pressed down hard the accelerator and the car continued to gain speed. With no real traffic, it was easy for him to travel without restriction.

Behind him blue flashing lights came into view. For a second, Daniel panicked. He was going over a hundred and the last thing he needed to be pulled over or risk a chase. Not now. But the squad car was going even faster than Daniel and before he could even begin to slow down, the squad car zoomed past. A second one quickly followed. Daniel wondered if they also knew something was up.

A few minutes later Daniel came to a hard stop in the already crowded parking lot to the entrance of Vault 47. He hopped out of his car and rushed to the gate. Two security personnel were waiting. Vault-Tec logos were on their armor. They were checking entry passes and letting people into the narrow path that led further back to the vault entrance. Daniel came up to them as they let the person before him through.

"Entry Pass," one of the guards demanded.

Daniel panicked. He didn't have it. It was at home. He wondered if Anna had left it for him with the guards when she went though.

"Daniel," came a voice that he immediately recognized as Sams. She rushed up to him from the entrance. Stress was hard on her face. "Anna and your daughter haven't arrived."

"What?" asked Daniel, fear alive in his voice.

"You heard me," answered Sam. "Miles called your home to check after Anna said they were on their way. They ain't there. Something happened to them along the way. You need to get back into your car and go and find them. It's a straight shot to your house from here, so they are probably somewhere in between. Now get going, Daniel. There is not a lot of time."

The urgency and taste of fear in Sam's own voice made Daniel follow her orders without asking. Seconds later he was jumping back into his car and peeling out of another parking lot. He forced his car to travel quickly, but not as quickly as before. Carefully, he scanned the sides of the roads, praying that he would see Anna and that she had not taken some alternate route.

Then, halfway between the vault and home he found her. She was standing in front of their blue sedan. The hood was up and her hands were busy at work underneath. Daniel spun the car into a u-turn through the muddy median to the other side of the road and stopped behind the broken down sedan. Anna immediately saw him and without a word stopped what she was doing and opened the door to the sedan's back seat. She pulled Brooke into her arms and rushed to Daniel's coupe.

With his family safely in the passenger seat, with Brooke on Anna's lap as there was no where else for her to go in the small car, Daniel threw the car into gear. Anna gripped his knee and he chanced a glance way from the road to look at her. Fear radiated in her eyes as she stared back. With his own fear easily on his sleeve, Brooke's playful laughter seemed an odd contrast as the three year old played with one of her ringed toys.

Their moment was interrupted as explosions erupted above them. Daniel looked up through the windshield into the blue morning sky. Small streaks of red light filled it, with occasional explosions appearing every few seconds far above them.

"Those are anti-ballistic lasers," said Anna, answering Daniel as to what he was seeing without him even having to ask.

"What the hell are they hitting?" asked Daniel.

A huge flash to their right answered the question. Daniel shielding his eyes against the bright nuclear blast. He knew if he looked at it, he would go blind. He then rammed down on the accelerator even harder, urging the car to get them to the Vault before it closed. He refused to even start to think that they were too late.

Seconds later, the shockwave hit their car. Daniel lost control as the wheel yanked free from his hands. The car was shoved violently, causing it to spin. Daniel screamed along with Anna and Brooke. Then they were forced to a stop. The car had been pushed into the median where the thick mud prevented it from moving any further.

The engine was dead. Daniel turned the key.

Nothing.

It refused to start. Anna was saying something, but Daniel couldn't hear. All he could do was turn the key again and again.

Another flash of nuclear light came to life, this time from the north; near the Vault. Daniel turned his head to his left, not wanting to lose his sight. All he could do as he turned the key one last time was stare at the tree and the bright blue sky, yet untouched by nuclear fire. As another shockwave rolled over them, he could at least enjoy the view.


End file.
